Biotech's Explosive Evolution Outpaces Moore's Law

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Moore's Law states, in simple terms, that the processing and
storage power of microchips will double every two years. This
maxim, first proposed in 1965 by technologist Gordon Moore,
proved prescient, but is beginning to run up against the
functional limits of traditional electronics. A conference in
London now seeks to explore how Moore's Law applies to other
fields, such as biotechnology and health care.

The Royal Society, Great Britain's premier scientific body, is
currently hosting the "Beyond Moore's Law" conference, where
eminent speakers can share their research on the future of
technology's geometric evolution. Microelectronics
— the study and manufacture of the kind of tiny electronic
components that go into computers, smartphones and other objects
that go "beep" — is beginning to slow down after 40 years of
steady exponential growth.

"If this technology is based on electrons flowing through
transistors and wires is slowing down, what new technologies can
be brought in to accelerate growth?" asked David Cumming, a
professor of electronic systems at the University of Glasgow and
"Beyond Moore's Law" organizer, told TechNewsDaily. If scientists
want technology to continue advancing according to Moore's Law,
it would have to break out of the "microelectronics-only"
mindset, Cumming said.

Moore's Law is not a scientific imperative, but rather a very
accurate predictive model. The logic of applying it to new fields
may not be immediately apparent, but Cumming believes that the
market for advancements in traditional electronics may be about
to slow down.

"Microelectronics has historically delivered equipment into the
communications and computing industries," he said. "There's only
so much market growth available for those sectors. People are
looking outside of conventional marketplaces."

One biotech field that has seen Moore's
Law -level strides is that of gene sequencing. "When the human
genome was first sequenced, it took large robotic machines and
large laboratories," said Cumming. Now, a single scientist armed
with a desktop computer can perform the work of an entire lab.

"There's a really intriguing parallel from mainframe computers
[occupying whole rooms] to desktops to handheld devices," Cumming
explained. He also theorized that gene sequencing could
eventually transition to smartphones and tablets, just as general
computing has.

Biotechnology even enlisted Moore himself — or at least a part of
him — to affirm its rapid growth. "A gene sequencing chip was
used to sequence Gordon Moore's DNA," added Steve Furber, a
professor of computer engineering at the University of
Manchester, and a Fellow of the Royal Society. That decision, he
said, put a poetic capstone on the whole project. [See also:
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Furber also described how
biotech's rapid evolution could affect medicine. A new chip
dubbed "Sensium" can streamline the process of taking a patient's
vital signs. "[The chip embeds] in something that looks like
sticking plaster, and you basically stick it onto the chest of a
patient … You can keep tabs on how well patients are doing on a
very regular basis."

Although there are still many consumer tech advancements on the
way (Cumming described "low-power tech," which would "allow
devices to work almost indefinitely without having to recharge"),
focusing exclusively on microelectronics has also ignored huge
opportunities for financial growth.

Sensors used in automotive, health care and energy industries
generate more than $20 billion every year. By focusing on areas
other than consumer electronics — whatever areas those may be —
Furber and Cumming agree manufacturers can increase their profits
and researchers can branch out beyond the latest smartphone
advancements.

Moore himself admitted that, sooner or later, his proposed law
would run up against a limit and capacity doubling every two
years would become unsustainable. Although microelectronics may
have nearly reached that point, as long as researchers are
willing to invest
resources in biotechnology, Moore's Law could prove prophetic
for a very long time to come.